NCCN Accepted as CMS-Approved Provider-Led Entity for Development of Imaging Appropriate Use Criteria
NCCN joins 10 other multidisciplinary organizations as a qualified provider-led entity under the Medicare Appropriate Use Criteria (AUC) program for advanced diagnostic imaging.
FORT WASHINGTON, PA — The National Comprehensive Cancer Network® (NCCN®), an alliance of 27 of the nation’s leading cancer centers, has been recognized as a qualified provider-led entity (PLE) for the new Medicare Appropriate Use Criteria (AUC) Program by Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS). Through this qualification, CMS—the nation’s largest health payer—recognizes NCCN as a group qualified to develop AUC and establish policy and decision-making for diagnostic imaging in patients with cancer. NCCN Imaging AUC™ are available free of charge to registered users of NCCN.org and can be accessed at NCCN.org/ImagingAUC.
“NCCN is proud of this acknowledgement from CMS, and we congratulate our fellow PLEs on their recognition,” said Robert W. Carlson, MD, Chief Executive Officer, NCCN. “At NCCN, we strive to improve the lives of people with cancer, and as a CMS-approved provider-led entity for development of diagnostic imaging AUC, we help to further assure that patients with cancer receive quality care while avoiding unnecessary diagnostic imaging.”
Adapted from the NCCN Clinical Practice Guidelines in Oncology (NCCN Guidelines®), NCCN Imaging AUC™ support clinical decision-making around the use of imaging in patients with cancer by outlining all imaging procedures recommended in the NCCN Guidelines®, including radiographs, computed tomography (CT) scans, magnetic resonance imaging (MRI), functional nuclear medicine imaging (PET, SPECT), and ultrasound. NCCN is committed to assuring that the most up-to-date recommendations are available and reviews and updates the NCCN Imaging AUC™ on a continual basis to ensure that the recommendations take into account the most current evidence.
Today, NCCN Imaging AUC™ for the following NCCN Guidelines are available:
- Acute Lymphoblastic Leukemia, Version 1.2016
- Acute Myeloid Leukemia, Version 1.2016
- Bladder Cancer, Version 2.2016
- Breast Cancer, Version 2.2016
- Genetic/Familial High-Risk Assessment: Breast and Ovarian, Version 2.2016
- Genetic/Familial High-Risk Assessment: Colorectal, Version 1.2016
- Hodgkin Lymphoma, Version 3.2016
- Lung Cancer Screening, Version 2.2016
- Neuroendocrine Tumors, Version 2.2016
- Pancreatic Adenocarcinoma, Version 1.2016
- Prostate Cancer, Version 3.2016
- Prostate Cancer Early Detection, Version 2.2016
NCCN Imaging AUC™ for additional cancer types will be published in the coming months.
NCCN Guidelines are the recognized standard for clinical policy in cancer care and are the most thorough and frequently updated clinical practice guidelines available in any area of medicine. Since June 2008, CMS has recognized the NCCN Drugs & Biologics Compendium (NCCN Compendium®) as a mandated reference for establishment of coverage policy and coverage decisions regarding the use of drugs and biologics in cancer care.
For more information about NCCN Imaging AUC™, visit NCCN.org/ImagingAUC.
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About the National Comprehensive Cancer Network
The National Comprehensive Cancer Network® (NCCN®), a not-for-profit alliance of 27 of the world’s leading cancer centers devoted to patient care, research, and education, is dedicated to improving the quality, effectiveness, and efficiency of cancer care so that patients can live better lives. Through the leadership and expertise of clinical professionals at NCCN Member Institutions, NCCN develops resources that present valuable information to the numerous stakeholders in the health care delivery system. As the arbiter of high-quality cancer care, NCCN promotes the importance of continuous quality improvement and recognizes the significance of creating clinical practice guidelines appropriate for use by patients, clinicians, and other health care decision-makers.
The NCCN Member Institutions are: Fred & Pamela Buffett Cancer Center, Omaha, NE; Case Comprehensive Cancer Center/University Hospitals Seidman Cancer Center and Cleveland Clinic Taussig Cancer Institute, Cleveland, OH; City of Hope Comprehensive Cancer Center, Los Angeles, CA; Dana-Farber/Brigham and Women’s Cancer Center | Massachusetts General Hospital Cancer Center, Boston, MA; Duke Cancer Institute, Durham, NC; Fox Chase Cancer Center, Philadelphia, PA; Huntsman Cancer Institute at the University of Utah, Salt Lake City, UT; Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center/Seattle Cancer Care Alliance, Seattle, WA; The Sidney Kimmel Comprehensive Cancer Center at Johns Hopkins, Baltimore, MD; Robert H. Lurie Comprehensive Cancer Center of Northwestern University, Chicago, IL; Mayo Clinic Cancer Center, Phoenix/Scottsdale, AZ, Jacksonville, FL, and Rochester, MN; Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center, New York, NY; Moffitt Cancer Center, Tampa, FL; The Ohio State University Comprehensive Cancer Center - James Cancer Hospital and Solove Research Institute, Columbus, OH; Roswell Park Cancer Institute, Buffalo, NY; Siteman Cancer Center at Barnes-Jewish Hospital and Washington University School of Medicine, St. Louis, MO; St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital/The University of Tennessee Health Science Center, Memphis, TN; Stanford Cancer Institute, Stanford, CA; University of Alabama at Birmingham Comprehensive Cancer Center, Birmingham, AL; UC San Diego Moores Cancer Center, La Jolla, CA; UCSF Helen Diller Family Comprehensive Cancer Center, San Francisco, CA; University of Colorado Cancer Center, Aurora, CO; University of Michigan Comprehensive Cancer Center, Ann Arbor, MI; The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center, Houston, TX; University of Wisconsin Carbone Cancer Center, Madison, WI; Vanderbilt-Ingram Cancer Center, Nashville, TN; and Yale Cancer Center/Smilow Cancer Hospital, New Haven, CT.
Clinicians, visit NCCN.org. Patients and caregivers, visit NCCN.org/patients. Media, visit NCCN.org/news.
Katie Kiley Brown, NCCN
215.690.0238
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